Floor-surfacing machine.



J. H. PRUGH.

FLOOR SURFAGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00127, 1911.

Lfifi gfi Patented July 9, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES INVENTUR J. H. PRUGH.

FLOOR SURFAGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27, 1911.

iii fi fig a Patented July 9, m2.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTUR J. H. PRUGH.

FLOOR SURFAGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES TNVENTOR @TCZM ldllTlE dTATE PATENT JOHN H. PRUGH, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN FLQOR SUBFACING MACHINE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHKO,

A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

FLOOR-SURFACING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Application filed october 27, 1911. Serial No. 657,159.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN HKPRUGH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Floor-Surfacing Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which-it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to surfacing and polishing machines, and is particularly designed for the smoothing and polishing of mosaic, stone, and other like floors, but is not restricted to such use.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of an improved hand machine of this character, which is strong and durable in its construction, simple and eflicient in its action, and capable of being easily operated by hand to rapidly polish a surface over which it is working,

A further object of my invention is to provide means for revolving different sets of abrading blocks in opposite directions, and to so arrange the blocks of each set as to cause them to have centripetal instead of centrifugal action upon a liquid disposed on the surface being polished or ground.

Further objects of my invention reside in the frame construction, the vertical adjustment of the supporting wheels relative to the frame and abrading parts, and the adjustment of parts relative to the frame to regulate the pressure of the abrading parts upon the surface being acted on.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect it is capable of embodimentin numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the truck portion of the frame with one wheel removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the machine on the line :2, w in Fi 2 with a portion broken away. Fig. 5

u a I a is a vertical section of the frame on the line 3 3/ in Fig. 2 with the gears removed,

and Fig, 6 is a bottom plan view of the two abrading block carrying members with the abrading blocks carried thereby.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body portion of the machine frame, and is shown, in the present instance, as being of rectangular skeleton form and as having its forward end provided wit-h laterally spaced shaft bearing heads 2, 2, which heads are rigidly connected at their forward ends by a crossbar 3. The frame is supported in proper position by legs or standards l, which are bolted or otherwise suitably attached at their upper ends to the base of the frame part 1, preferably adjacent the forward edge thereof, and incline downward and rearward therefrom. A. shaft 5 connects and is journaled adjacent its ends in the lower ends of the legs 4c and preferably has its ends provided with crank-arms '6 projecting in the same direction therefrom and having spindles or wrist-pins 7 upon which supporting wheels 8 are loosely mounted. A peripherally notched wheel or disk 9 is fixed to the shaft 5 intermediate the standards 4: and a locking member 10 is slidably carried by a cross-piece 11 connecting the standards 4 above the wheel 9, to engage or disengage a registering notch in the wheel 9 to hold such wheel and its shaft 5 in any predetermined position of rotary adjustment. The purpose of this adjustment is to effect a turning of the wheel spindles 7 about the shaft 5 to effect a vertical adjustment of the frame to compensate for a wearing of the abrading blocks, as hereinafter more specifically described.

A handle-bar 12 extends rearwardly on an incline from the shaft 5, to which it maybe suitably attached, and has its upper end provided with a cross-bar 13 to be grasped by the hands of the operator. The bar 12 is firmly attached to the rear edge of the body part 1 of the frame by a band Ll or in any other suitable manner.

The shaft bearing'heads 2 of the frame are lower than the body part 1 thereofand each is provided with a vertical bore in which a shaft 15 is mounted. These shafts have their lower ends projecting below their respective heads and working through the hub openings 16 of the gears 17. The web portions of the gears 17 are shownas being annularly flanged upwardly at a short distance from their centers to form such gears in cup shape to enable the frame heads 2 to project downwardly therein and to elevate the toothed peripheral portions thereof, thus forming what might be termed crown gears. The hub portions of the gears 17 are provided on their upper sides with ball bearing thrusts to coact with the lower ends of the respective heads 2, as indicated .at 18 in Fig. i.

Projecting downwardly from the under side of each gear 17 adjacent to its center and on opposite sides thereof are two bosses 19, 19 in which the ends of a shaft 21 are journaled. The shaft 21 carries a rocker member 22 intermediate the bosses 19, and

- such member has shaft ends or trunnions 23 projecting from opposite sides thereof at right angles to the shaft 21 and j ournaled in bosses 24- which rise in spaced relation from the top of an abrading-block carrying table 25. The members 22 and their shafts form universal joints between the respective gears 17 and tables 25 to communicate rotation from one to the other and to permit the tables to have universal movements. relative to' their driving gears as the uneven surface of the floor over which they are working may require. The tables 25 are preferably of disk form and the under side of eachis provided with a set of fixed block clamping ribs 26 which are shown, in the present instance, as being four in number and arranged.suc- .essively at right angles to each other around the disk surface in substantially the form of a square. Opposing each rib 26 and cooperating therewith to clamp an abrading-block 27 to the table is a movable clamping bar 28 which is carried by an eccentric 29, the shaft of which projects upward through a registering opening in the table and has its upper end preferably squared or otherwise suitably formed, as at 30, to facilitate a gripping of the same by a wrench or other suitable tool for-the purpose of turning. It will be apparent that upon a turning of an eccentric 29 the block 28 carried thereby will either be moved toward or away from the cooperating clamping rib 26 of the associated table. This is found to. provide a very simple and efficient means for clamping an abrading block27 to a carrying table, and one that is easily and quickly operable for such purpose.

By arranging the abrading blocks 27 with their longitudinal axes substantially at right angles to each other it will be apparent that upon a turning of either or both tables 25 in the directions indicated by the arrows a, a in Fig. 6, the inner longitudinal edges of the blocks will tend to throw water or other matter upon the surface over which the machine is operating toward the center of the respective disks instead of outwardly orcentrifugally therefrom as would otherwise be the case. This is quite an important feature in the practical and satisfactory operation of a machine of this character as the dirty polishing water is not thrown outwardly by the abrading blocks against the walls of a room or articles standing adjacent to a machine when in operation.

The power for driving the gears 17 and attached abrading members is shown, in the present instance, as being derived from an electric motor 31 on the body art 1 of the machine frame and has its sha t 32 in chain and sprocket wheel connection with a shaft 33 which is mounted over the bearing heads 2 transversely of the machine in suitable bearings 34 carried by said heads. The shaft 33 has a pair of small bevel pinions 35 mounted thereon adjacent the inner sides of the gears 17, 17 and in mesh with respective ones of such gears, as shown in Fig. 2, thus imparting rotation in opposite directions to the gears 17 from a rotation of the shaft 33. The motor 31 is mounted over the supporting wheels 8 and is preferably mounted for forward and rearward adjust-ing movements upon a table or slide part 36, which is bolted or otherwise suitably secured in fixed relation to the frame part 1, to facilitate an adjusting of the motor relative to the axes of the wheels 8 to regulate the gravity pressure of the abrading parts upon the subjacent surfaces, as is apparent by reference to Fig. 1.. An adjustment of the motor upon the table 36 is effected by a turning of the adjusting screws 37, 37 in proper directions, such screws being threaded through bosses 38 at the front and rear edges of the table 36 and bearing against the adjacent sides of the motor frame.

39 designates the control switch for the motor, and for convenience of access is mounted upon the'handle-bar 12.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The machine having been placed upon a floor to be polished and the tables 25 thereof having a set of abrading blocks 27 attached to each, the operator starts the motor which communicates rotation in opposite directions to the abrading block carrying tables 25 through the intermediate gearing. The rotation of the block carrying tables 25 in opposite directions tends very materially to steady the action of the machine instead of tending to move the ma chine from one side to the other of its intended path of travel as is the case where only one rotary disk, or several disks rotating in the same direction, are employed. The rotary tables are also preferably so geared as to cause their inner or adjacent edge portions to move in a direction opposite to the forward movement of the .ma chine, as indicated by the ar ows in Fig. 6, the arrow 5 designating the direction of travel of the machine. Upon a movement of'the abrading blocks 27 over uneven surfaces or upon a lowering of the block carry place the relatively eccentric axes of the wheels in proper position to level the machine frame. adjustment being accomplished by a releasing of the locking member 10 from a notch in the notched disk 9 and engaging the same with a proper the disk and attached shaft have been turned to a desired extent. Should it be desired to cause the aln'ading-blocks to exerta greater or less pressure upon the surface notch when over which they are acting the motor 31 is moved forward or rearward relative to the axes of the supporting walls 8 as the case may be. such adjustment being accomplished by a proper turning of the adjusting screws 37.

Itwill be noted that the frame of the machine is comparatively light and that the major portion of the weight thereof is disposed in advance of the axes of the supporting wheels 8, and also that Such major portion of the weight is augmented by the gearing and abrading-block carrying portions so that considerable pressure is exerted upon the abrading-bloclcs by the weight of such parts. \Vhile this is not essential it is found in practice to be quite important to the practical and etlicient operation of a machine of this class. and this feature oft'he machine is rendered more practical by the provision of an adjustable weight, such, for instance.

as the motor, which is movable upon the frame to adjust to a nicety the gravity pressure of the abrrnling-bloclts upon the surface over which they are acting. If desired, the

motor or adjusting weight of the machine" can be moved a sufficient distance to the rear to counterbalance the weight of the forward parts to facilitate a wheeling of the machine from one place to another when not in action.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a machine of the class described, a

&

frame, a shaft journaled in said frame and having its ends provided with crank arms, supporting wheels carried by said arms, abrading means carried by the frame, and means operable to rotatably adjust the shaftto vertically adjust the wheels relative to the frame.

In a machine of the class described. a frame, a shaft journaled in said frame and having cranl; arms, supporting wheels carried by said arms. a disk-like part carried by the shaft, and means carried by the. frame for cooperating with said part to retain the shaft in predetermined positions of rotary adjustment.

3. In a machine of the class described. a frame. abrading means *arried by said frame. a' shaft journaled in said frame and having an eccentric part, a frame supporting wheel mounted on said part. a notched disk fixed to the shaft, and a locking member carried by the frame for engaging a registering notch in said disk to hold the same in any position ofadjustment.

4:. In a machine of the class described. a frame having a table portion adapted for the supporting of a motor. a bearing head projecting forwardly from said table and having a vertical shaft bearing. a shaftmounted in said bearing, a crown gear carried by the lower end of said shaft and having.its hub in upward bearing thrust engagement with the lower end of the bearing head. abrading means carried by said gear, a motor mounted on said table. means for conununicating rotation from the motor to said gear. and a wheeled support projecting downwardly from the table part at the rear of said head.

In a machine of the class described, a table part having a plurality. of spaced bearing heads projecting forwardly and downwardly from said table part. a beam rigidly connecting said bearing heads, a vertical shaft journaled in each bearing head. a crown gear mounted on said shaft. abrading means carried by the gear for rotation therewith. means carried by said table for communicating opposed rotation in unison to said gears, standards projecting downwardly from the table part to the rear of said heads. a shaft mounted in said standards, and wheels carried by said shaft.

In testimony wttereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN H. PRUGH.

Vitnesses C. IV. OWEN, S. T. KLorz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

